DeSantis was basically just the Backup Trump the party wanted in its pocket in case Trump somehow went to jail or had a heart attack or did something so treasonous Fox couldn’t spin it away before the election, like flee to Russia or murder a judge or something. (Considering Jan 6th, “so treasonous Fox couldn’t spin it away” is a bar so high it’s almost entertaining we haven’t met it yet.)
Thanks to Fox siding with Trump’s spin that no election Republicans ever lose can ever be considered legitimate again, Republicans want a Fascist who will ensure by force that they can never lose another election. Fox has all but told them that’s the only solution to keep black people and migrants and other “undeservings” from stealing the country, in every euphemism possible and sometimes without the euphemisms at all. Anyone who behaved less like a Fascist would be seen as a weak capitulation to the Great Replacement and a left-wing party they’re being told 24/7 wouldn’t hesitate to steal elections from them. Anyone who took less than dictatorial, extrajudicial power into their hands to prevent another Democrat from ever being elected again would be seen as a milquetoast traitor unwilling to fight for his country. DeSantis has done his best to prove this on every front imaginable, and would have had this easily if Trump’s candidacy hadn’t survived.
I think this take absolves the other candidates and the party generally from any agency. Its not a forgone conclusion that the indictments would’ve helped trump, but his own primary opponents essentially told voters to circle the wagons around him! If they’d all said “hmmm, seems like being a convicted felon would be a serious liability maybe nominate me instead of him” things may have been different. The fact that DeSantis was polling well at all in the early spring shows a lot of voters were considering alternatives to Trump and sensitive to electability arguments after the midterms, press that case further with the indictments rather than abandoning it to essentially endorse Trump while supposedly running against him
Given the variety of people that have passed up a variety of legitimate offramps from Trump, I think it's practically impossible that anything and anyone will derail him now with the Republican party.
DeSantis was basically just the Backup Trump the party wanted in its pocket in case Trump somehow went to jail or had a heart attack or did something so treasonous Fox couldn’t spin it away before the election, like flee to Russia or murder a judge or something. (Considering Jan 6th, “so treasonous Fox couldn’t spin it away” is a bar so high it’s almost entertaining we haven’t met it yet.)
Thanks to Fox siding with Trump’s spin that no election Republicans ever lose can ever be considered legitimate again, Republicans want a Fascist who will ensure by force that they can never lose another election. Fox has all but told them that’s the only solution to keep black people and migrants and other “undeservings” from stealing the country, in every euphemism possible and sometimes without the euphemisms at all. Anyone who behaved less like a Fascist would be seen as a weak capitulation to the Great Replacement and a left-wing party they’re being told 24/7 wouldn’t hesitate to steal elections from them. Anyone who took less than dictatorial, extrajudicial power into their hands to prevent another Democrat from ever being elected again would be seen as a milquetoast traitor unwilling to fight for his country. DeSantis has done his best to prove this on every front imaginable, and would have had this easily if Trump’s candidacy hadn’t survived.
I think this take absolves the other candidates and the party generally from any agency. Its not a forgone conclusion that the indictments would’ve helped trump, but his own primary opponents essentially told voters to circle the wagons around him! If they’d all said “hmmm, seems like being a convicted felon would be a serious liability maybe nominate me instead of him” things may have been different. The fact that DeSantis was polling well at all in the early spring shows a lot of voters were considering alternatives to Trump and sensitive to electability arguments after the midterms, press that case further with the indictments rather than abandoning it to essentially endorse Trump while supposedly running against him
The 2024 Republican convention will make its own rules to govern the nomination process. FACT.
Delegates are not “bound” unless the delegates choose to handcuff themselves!
Will they?
Good analysis, but!
The Republican National Convention is not “bound” to primaries.
Much will happen between now and mid-July.
The convention can also nominate someone who has entered NO primaries.
The primaries DO NOT choose the Republican nominee.
GASLIGHTING is effective; however, the BIG REPUBLICAN PRIMARY LIE does not rule the Republican Party.
Given the variety of people that have passed up a variety of legitimate offramps from Trump, I think it's practically impossible that anything and anyone will derail him now with the Republican party.
Most delegates will be pledged to candidates though, elected to rhe convention via state primary and caucuses, it’s not 1968 anymore